MCRAE, Kenneth McLean
| Service Number: | 1387 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ararat, Victoria, Australia, 1871 |
| Home Town: | Warracknabeal, Yarriambiack, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia, 1 May 1940, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Warracknabeal Public Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1387, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 1387, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 1387, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Melbourne | |
| 10 Jun 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1387, 14th Infantry Battalion, embarked Suez for Melbourne on board the Kyarra | |
| 14 Dec 1915: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1387, 14th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
One of six brothers who served in WWI (Murdoch served in the British Army, and Alexander, William, Duncan and Raymond served in the AIF), Private Kenneth McLean McRae (Service No:1387) served with 14th Infantry Battalion (12 October 1914 - 14 December 1915) in Egypt. The Hamilton Spectator (1918), reporting on the family's service, stated 'Kenneth McRae, as a member of the 7th Battalion, took part in the landing on Gallipoli and was invalided home with gunshot wounds after 18 months service on the Peninsula and in Egypt'.
Ken was born in Ararat, Victoria in 1871, fourth of fourteen children of John McRae (b1836 in Cromarty, Scotland) and Flora McLean (b1846 in Argyllshire, Scotland). John was an Agricultural Labourer when he immigrated in 1852, arriving in Victoria on board the John Davies. Flora also immigrated in 1852, arriving in Victoria on board the Flora McDonald. John (a Labourer) and Flora married in 1865 in Hamilton, and lived in Ararat and then Warracknabeal, where they raised their family and John worked as a Labourer and Boundary Rider. John died in 1897 from injuries received when he fell from his horse. In 1915, Flora received a letter from Buckingham Palace, on behalf of the King, expressing appreciation for her sons' service (Kyneton Guardian; 19 October 1915).
Ken completed an apprenticeship as an Iron Moulder, and was working as a Labourer in Warracknabeal in 1914 when he enlisted in the Army. Following his Discharge, Ken returned to Warracknabeal where he worked as a Labourer until his death in 1940.
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